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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455065">Beating Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/diduforget123/pseuds/diduforget123'>diduforget123</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Minghao would do anything for Chan and so would I, Sorry they are only mentioned, The Author Regrets Nothing, This is Chanhaos fic, Very light I promise, You'll see what I mean, sort of ambiguous ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:20:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,805</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/diduforget123/pseuds/diduforget123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An interview gone wrong somehow leads to something so right</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Chan | Dino/Xu Ming Hao | The8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Beating Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fuck yeah Chanhao<br/>Thank you to Nicki for listening to me spew most of this idea in his DM's</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Minghao lets out a sigh of relief as he plops down on the couch. His muscles scream in satisfaction as the comfort of the cushions shape his tired body.</p><p>The other members are roaming about the dorms, doing different things. Some choose to relax after interviews, like Minghao and Jeonghan probably working on their hobbies, while others like Jihoon and Vernon decide to use the little free time they have to work on tracks and such. </p><p>For every one of them, their reactions to interviews can go either way; absolutely amazing or downright horrible. It all depends on the questions the interviewers ask. For the most part, they’re asked trivial things like ‘who is your favorite singer?’ or ‘what is your ideal type?’. And, yeah, don’t get Minghao wrong; he loves when Seventeen receives invites for interviews, it broadens their popularity and gives carats something to enjoy. But, over time, it’s become tedious, repeating their answers to the same questions over and over again with no end in sight. Just once, he wished that they could have a whole interview dedicated to their singing, or even their dancing, just something <em> new. </em></p><p>“Your head looks like it’s about to catch on fire, hyung…” Chan chuckles as he walks out from the hallway and into the living room, interrupting Minghaos thoughts. </p><p>Minghao notices that he has gotten out of his clothes from the day and into something way more comfortable. He should do the same, especially considered these dress pants are a little bit scratchy.</p><p>Chan makes his way over to Minghao, socked feet padding against the wood flooring. Tossing himself onto the couch, he lays his head in Minghaos lap, the olders hand instinctively coming to thread his hand through the younger’s hair. The younger hums in contentment. “Thinking about the interview, are you?” </p><p>“Of course I am.” Minghao scoffs. He’s annoyed. Not at Chan, because, well, he could never really get annoyed with him (read he does), but at the interviewers? Yes. “They ask us the same thing over and over again! Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the same interview just at different times.” </p><p>“I don’t think they mean anything bad by it…”</p><p>“I know they don’t, Chan, but I’m an artist. I want,” he gestures to himself and to Chan. “You, me, Jun hyung, Cheol hyung, all of us to get asked stuff that pertains to the thing that we are most passionate about.” </p><p>“Each other?” Chan snorts jokingly, but Minghao just stares at him, unamused. The younger sighs. “There isn’t anything we can do about it now or in the future.” </p><p>“I know we can’t do anything about it. Which I think is the thing that sucks? I’m human, Chan. Not a robot, not some weird immortal human or anything. I’m human, as are all of us. As is the whole industry, and it’s just demeaning? Not only to me as an artist but to me as a human. I’m not just something that viewers can mold into their ideal realities.”</p><p>Chan opens his mouth to speak, Minghao effectively cutting him off by speaking again. “And yeah, I know you don’t think they mean it, but I mean, look at it from a different view.” He pauses, staring off. “What are we, Chan?”</p><p>“Artists?”</p><p>“Not the basic label. What <em> are </em>we?”</p><p>“Singers, rappers, performers?” Chan answers, and he sounds unsure. Unsure because he doesn’t exactly know what Minghao wants to hear, nor does he know what the Chinese man is trying to prove. </p><p>“Exactly. So what is the point of asking us questions that could be on a dating profile and not questions that pertain to the thing we do for a living? It doesn’t make any sense.” </p><p>Pursing his lips, Chan ponders the thought for a moment. Yet he still doesn’t get it. Everything they do, they do for the fans. The only reason that can label themselves as artists, as performers, is because of the people who support them. “But isn’t it all for the fans?”</p><p>Silence. </p><p>Minghao isn’t looking at him, and Chan can’t read what he’s thinking, his expressionless face masking a thousand emotions. Their views are different, always have been. Thinking back to their early years, Minghao was more in touch with reality than the others. He pursued pessimism as opposed to optimism because he knew that to make it in life, he would always have to have the lingering thought in his mind that Seventeen is never going to make it in the industry. As time went on, of course, his views were shaped, and he could see Seventeen's popularity and growth, so he chose to express himself more. Yet, Minghao still draws a line. He lets himself bask in the limelight, allows himself to enjoy all that fame and glory bring. But, never does he let himself go past a certain point with fans. Chan supposes that’s fair because everyone’s tolerance is different, but sometimes it’s so hard to see where he’s coming from. Even after the time they’ve spent together and have drawn closer to each other, the walls surrounding Minghao aren’t any less hard to overcome.</p><p>“My career is my own. I do certain things for the fans; that’s a part of my job description, but I’m living <em> my </em> dream, Chan, not the fans and not anyone else’s, and I don’t always have to cater to the people supporting me because I still somewhat control my own life. And it seems like even after all this time, I still can’t speak about what I love the most in public. I wouldn’t expect you to know that seeing as for one moment you can’t even let yourself enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to obtain. You always spend time making sure others around you enjoy what you are doing without ever stopping and taking one second to ask yourself if <em> you </em>enjoy what you’re doing.” And the words feel bitter as they leave Minghao’s mouth, flooding his mouth with a sour feeling, but he doesn’t particularly care right at this moment. The mixture of emotions that have been stirring within his head for months has finally spilled over. </p><p>He looks down at Chan and sees the younger staring back at him, a mixture of hurt and confusion on his face. He pulls himself up so that he’s sitting right next to Minghao, but his gaze stays cast downwards.</p><p>Did the situation escalate much faster than Minghao intended? Yes. But is he sorry that it happened? Yes and no. It was never his intention to get this riled up over something so trivial as interview questions, but the lack of respect Chan has for himself is something that the older cannot stand. Being the type of person that he is, Minghao prefers to handle things more civilly than blowing up at someone. He knows that Chan would choose the same too. See, the younger isn’t too fond of confrontation, so the members do their best to tell stuff to him in the calmest way possible. Minghao respects that. Although he can’t always guarantee that it’ll be how things are handled. Take now, for example.</p><p>Guilt, however, creeps in slowly as the tension thickens silently between them. Minghao takes in a deep breath, beginning to speak, “Look, Chan-”</p><p>“No…” Chan cuts in. “You’re right; I’m just⎻processing.” </p><p>“I don’t mean it in a way to hurt you, but it’s just,” Minghao pauses, flustered. He’s not the best with words or even conveying his feelings, and he wants to put it in a way that doesn’t sound awkward or mean. “Sometimes you care too much about others’ opinions instead of your own. And then you forget to let yourself actually take in all that you have accomplished.”</p><p>“But⎻”</p><p>Minghao furrows his brows and brings his hands up to squish Chan’s cheeks together. He will not let the other get away with this. “Absolutely no buts Lee chan. Hyung knows what he’s talking about, and you do too. I just want you to be happy, okay, Channie? You’ve worked so hard for so long. You deserve to enjoy it. Got it?”</p><p>“Okay, I guess,” Chan replies back, a pout somehow forming on his squished face. But Minghao just frowns at him, seemingly not convinced. “Chan…” He warns, and the younger just rolls his eyes, ending with a groan. “Fine, fine. I understand. </p><p>“Good. Now, what movie do you want to watch?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It takes them a couple of minutes to figure out what they want to watch, both of them settling on some random action movie that they found while scrolling through Netflix. The dorm is extremely quiet. It’s only eleven at night, but most of the members came back exhausted. Since they got back, Jun, the only person who has left their room, made his trek to the kitchen just so he could bring a popsicle back to his room.</p><p>The movie ends up being a snooze fest, and Chan doesn’t even make it twenty minutes before he’s asleep, head comfily resting on Minghaos thigh. Truth be told since Chan fell asleep, he had no reason to watch the screen, not when his favorite person (don’t tell Mingyu that) is currently almost curled up on his lap. He lets out a sigh and runs his hand through the younger’s hair, the boy consciously humming in his sleep at the action. </p><p>When Minghao first arrived in Korea and started training at Pledis, he never thought he would see Seventeen’s day is a common name in the K-Pop industry. What began as a gruesome journey turned into something he only dreamed of. Every blood, sweat, and tear, everybody ache, every sprain, every pain he ever felt, lead him here. </p><p>And he’s so grateful to everyone who ever supported him on his journey, Seventeen included. This group is like a giant family, and he owes them everything for trying to keep him uplifted even with an initial language barrier. It was hard for him at first to form a bond with the other members. The past language barrier that bothers Minghao is how it kept him from creating a genuine relationship with them until after their debut. It was something that put a damper on Minghaos mood a lot of the time during their free time. Of course, he had Jun, who became so close to him Minghao now sees him as a literal brother, but he didn’t get to have that with the rest of them. As he continued to learn Korean and improve his speaking, he took every opportunity to talk with the others. He’ll never forget when he and Chan had their first conversation in Korean. He was so cheery when he greeted Minghao, and the older will always remember how his eyes lit up upon hearing the decent reply back. Just the thought makes Minghaos heart flutter. </p><p>It’s no secret that aside from him and Jun, Minghao is the second closest with Chan, maybe even just as close as Jun. The younger sought Minghao out every time he needed comfort when he was younger, and he still continues to do so now. Minghao is Chan’s confidant and best friend. Sometimes Chan comes home late at night, brain fried and body aching from hours of grueling choreography sessions with Soonyoung and their choreographer. He finds himself in Minghaos room every time, either venting to the older or simply laying with him, basking in the comfort and grounding that Minghao can offer him. </p><p>He hates to admit it, but Minghao would literally do anything for the younger. He’s become so head over heels for the maknae that it scares him. Every time the younger smiles or, <em> god, </em>laughs, it makes Minghao feel warm all over.</p><p>“Are you going to kiss me, or do I have to do it myself?” Chan mumbles, Minghao just about jumping out of his skin. His eyes fall on Chan, who is just staring back at him with a sleepy smile. </p><p>“W-what?” </p><p>“I said, are you going to kiss me, or do I have to do it myself?” This time Chan says it more seriously. Minghaos face heats up. Is this really happening? Is he supposed to do it? Oh god. Minghao wasn’t prepared for this. </p><p>“But if I read things wrong, then maybe-” Minghao cuts Chan off by leaning down and pressing a quick peck onto the younger’s lips. Once he retreats, he turns his head away, face surely a deep red color. </p><p>Chan stares up at him blankly, a blush covering his own face as well. Truthfully he wasn’t expecting Minghao to make a move, but hell, he also isn’t going to let him get away with one kiss either. Chan sits himself up quickly and throws a leg over Minghaos thighs, grabbing the olders face with his hands and confidently pulling him into a passionate kiss. </p><p>The older boy grunts at the sudden motion, eyes wide, but when he realizes what’s happening, he melts into the kiss, hands finding their way down and settling Chan’s hips. The kiss is slow and languid, Chan taking the opportunity to move his hands down and around Minghaos neck. It’s quiet, save for the sound of their mouths moving together, and Minghaos mind is going a hundred miles a minute. His head is foggy as the kiss deepens, his mind deeply intoxicated, only thinking about Chan. <em> Chan, chan, chan </em>… </p><p>His hands travel upwards from Chan’s hips up until they touch the hem of his shirt, and oh how he wants to touch him, feel his soft skin under his fingertips. As if he can read Minghaos thoughts, Chan breathes out against his lips, “Touch me, please touch me.” And Minghao does. He pushes his hands up underneath Chan’s shirt and runs his hands up the younger’s back, basking in the electric feeling he feels while touching him. </p><p>Chan goes back to kissing them, except this time it’s more passionate, rougher. Minghao isn’t sure exactly where Chan learned to kiss like this, but he isn’t complaining. His focus is solely on Chan. Taking Chan’s bottom lip between his teeth, Minghao tugs at it lightly, eliciting a groan from the younger. </p><p>“We should stop,” Chan murmurs, hands moving up to run through Minghaos hair. Minghao nods; they should. But he doesn’t want to.</p><p>“We should,” He replies, diving back in for another kiss, leaving Chan breathless. “But what if I say that I don’t want to?”</p><p>Chan takes in a sharp breath, “Then I would say your room or mine?”</p><p>And Minghao grins, grabbing behind Chan’s thighs and lifting them both up from the couch. Within a few steps, Minghao is in his room, closing and locking the door behind them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Chan sighs contently as he lays on Minghaos bare chest, Minghaos arm wrapped around Chan, lightly stroking his arm.   “That was nice…”</p><p>“It was.”</p><p>Sometime during their activities, it started raining, the raindrops’ soothing noise hitting the window calming both boys. Minghao kept thinking about everything; him, Chan, what this means for them, what it means for the others. Their actions were impulsive, to say the least, but fuck that, he doesn’t care. He wouldn’t have played what happened out any differently. Chan turns in his hold, so now he’s looking right at Minghao, his doe eyes piercing Minghaos chest. The older chuckles and brings his other hand up to move a piece of hair out of Chan’s face. His laughter fades, and they are submerged in silence again. A beat passes, and Chan’s lays his head back down on Minghaos chest, right above his heart. </p><p>“Hey, Minghao?” He asks, voice quiet, and Minghao knows he is starting to fall asleep. </p><p>“Yes, Channie?” </p><p>“I like you a lot,” Chan confesses, nuzzling his head on Minghaos skin, and Minghao feels his heart grow. He leans down and places a kiss on top of Chan’s head. “I like you too, Chan.”</p><p>The younger hums happily, a small smile appearing on his face, “Good.”</p><p>A few seconds pass, and Minghao can feel Chan’s breathing steady out, letting the older know he’s asleep. His body is so warm from the added heat, but there’s nothing right now that could take Chan away from Minghaos embrace. The older feels his eyes grow heavy, so he takes one last look at Chan before letting his eyes fall closed.</p><p>Mentally, he knows that their journey together is going to take a lot of work. The world wants everyone to conform to its way of thinking, and it scares him to think that loving one thing could make him lose another. A long road awaits them, but it doesn’t matter. If Minghao did it once, he could do it again. Because, shit, nothing is going to keep him from seeing his second dream through. </p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed &lt;3<br/>Please let me know what you think :)<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/diduforget123"> Twitter </a><br/><a href="https://curiouscat.qa/diduforget123"> CC </a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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